Gas Versus Electric

Here is Maine it can take us a while to come around to trying new things.  Golf carts are no exception.  The first thing I ask a customer is whether they want a gas powered or electric golf cart.  The old design for electric golf carts was weaker in horsepower and torque than it's gas counterpart.  The old design was for a 36 volt electric cart.  New current design is a 48 volt cart which has the same torque and horsepower as the gas model (within 0.1hp).  48 volt carts have been out for well over a decade, but some people are just unwilling to give them a try, even in our parking lot!

Personally, I prefer the electric carts to the gas ones.  There is not engine noise so the only sound it makes are the tires on the ground.  Also, when you push down on the accelerator pedal you get instant power compared to the gas carts where the engine has to start up, idle for a second and get into gear every time (when you take your foot off the pedal the engine shuts off).  In a race with both a gas and electric cart set to the same top speed, the electric cart will always win because of that 0-to-top speed advantage over gas.

That is not to say that gas does not have it's advantages.  Electric is limited in range to the charge on the battery.  A set of new batteries can give you a pedal to the floor run time of up to two hours which is twenty to thirty miles (depending on the terrain).  A gas cart has a 5 gallon gas tank and averages 50-70 miles per gallon (depending on the terrain).  So if you need to go long distances per day and cannot break to recharge in the middle, gas is the way to go.

Batteries are expensive, but very easy to maintain.  A new set of top quality batteries costs about $750.00 (cheaper batteries ten to only last 1/2 as long, so that $20.00 in savings ends up costing you $100's).  In electric carts you tend to lose 5-10 minutes of run-time a year as a battery ages.  The useful life for a set of top shelf batteries in a personal use golf cart is 6-9 years, while lower quality batteries or un-maintained batteries can give out in 3-4 years.  It is imperative that you use the proper batteries in your electric cart.  They are not like car batteries.  These are used to run the electric motor, not just start it like a regular car.  Putting in the wrong batteries is just throwing money away.  It's like putting diesel in a gas car.

Our gas golf carts are powered by a Kawasaki 290cc engine.  It's basically a motorcycle engine.  It takes regular gas, no need to mix in the oil like old-fashion carts and lawnmowers.  They last for a very long time an are fairly simple to repair compared to a full-sized car.  Like a car they do need regular maintenance.  You need to change the oil, the air and oil filters, check seals, keep it fueled, an keep the engine clean.  Low costs items one at a time, but when put side by side with an electric cart over 5 or 6  years, they cost about the same as replacing the electrics batteries.

Gas carts are becoming more and more difficult to find used.  This is because fewer an fewer are being produced each year.  Many golf courses have switched to electric because of the lack of noise and the tax incentives provided by the government for going with zero emission vehicles.  Don't be surprised when you see the price difference between used gas and electric carts, and don't be surprised when people won't haggle over the price of the gas carts.  It's supply and demand.

If you have any questions regarding golf carts or have an idea for a subject for this blog, please feel free to contact me.